By Samantha KammanChristian Post Reporter Saturday, September 07, 2024

Serena was only 14 years old and had never even kissed a boy when a guy she had a crush on convinced her to send him nude pictures and videos of herself, which he proceeded to share with classmates.

She fell into depression and attempted suicide several times after the content was seen on Pornhub and uploaded to the site again and again.

When she was 19, Serena bonded with longtime activist Laila Mickelwait after she saw the girl's abuse video online. Mickelwait posted an alert video with the girl's face, which allowed the two to connect for help in removing the content from Pornhub.

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“[Serena’s story] could be any kid's story, and just realizing that was a horrible thought, but it really fueled my fight even more,” Mickelwait told The Christian Post in an interview about her latest memoir. Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape and Sex Trafficking.

Serena's story is one of many cases Mickelwait cites in the book of Pornhub distributing and monetizing child sexual abuse and rape.

Mickelwait allows readers to follow her on her quest to hold Pornhub, its parent company Aylo (formerly Mind Geek), accountable for distributing videos depicting sexual abuse.

From exposing abusive videos to pressuring credit card companies to cut ties with Pornhub, the founder of the Traffickinghub movement shares her strategies for going toe-to-toe with the billion-dollar porn site Pornhub.

Another case cited in the book is that of a 15-year-old girl who disappeared for more than a year before a Pornhub user told the girl's mother that he recognized the woman's daughter on the site.

The mother discovered more than 50 videos uploaded to Pornhub by a user named “Daddy's_Slut” that showed her daughter being raped. As Mickelwait recounted in the book, the minor's attacks were monetized with ads, and more than 100 million users could pay to download the content.

As an activist who has fought issues like human trafficking for more than 15 years, Mickelwait said she's always had a heart for children.

“For people to care about this issue, I thought it was important for them to go on this journey with me,” Mickelwait told CP.

“The journey of discovery, meeting the victims, the whistleblowers, to understand how this company operates and the devastating trauma it causes victims,” ​​she added. “Hopefully, by the end of the story, they can be as passionate about ending this as I am, and we can mobilize an army of advocates to take this to the next level.”

Her efforts to mobilize the public against sex crimes resulted in a movement made up of a diverse group of people, including those who work in the porn industry. Mickelwait said she regularly contacted porn producers and performers, people she believed helped her uncover abuse in the industry.

She said the changes she's asking for, such as checking age and consent on every user-created porn site, are rules supported by people in the porn industry. She explains in her book that she wants to abolish sex trafficking and online sex crime and not the legal pornography industry.

“When we're dealing with abuse and criminal organizations this big, it's important for people to come together and put aside their differences, whether it's their religion or lack of religion, whether it's their political ideology,” Mickelwait said. “Because this is a human rights issue. It's not a right or left issue; it's not just a Christian issue.”

Throughout the book, Mickelwait showcases her roles as an activist and mother. In one section, she described rocking her young son in the darkness of her bedroom one night as her thoughts turned to a story she read days after her son's birth about a missing girl from Florida.

While she emphasized that anyone who cares about children can take action on this issue, Mickelwait noted that becoming a mother seemed to increase her empathy for the abused children she learned about through her work.

“I think it really took it to another level when I thought about the fact that these kids who were exploited could be my kids in a few years because the things that happened to them could happen to anyone. a child in the digital age.” she stated.

Taking on a major corporation is not without its emotional consequences, however.

Mickelwait is transparent with readers about the stress of dealing with dox or having her face superimposed on graphic images. But during moments of emotional turmoil, the activist thought of Pornhub's victims, and she would also turn to God.

“I do have a strong faith and belief in God,” she said. “My spiritual side played a big role in keeping me grounded and helping me just keep going.”

Another inspiration for Mickelwait who lifted her up in times of need was her late father, whom she references often in the book. Her dad was a general and vascular surgeon and passed away in 2014 after a heart attack.

Mickelwait recounts standing at her father's grave following his funeral and vowing to bring justice to abuse victims.

“He was just an amazing father and the reason why I do this job today,” Mickelwait said.